Armillaria root rot is common in landscape plantings of oakleaf hydrangea. The initial symptom is wilting of one or more shoots that previously seemed healthy. Irrigation does no good and within a few weeks the rest of the branches wilt...

Nandina is sometimes called “heavenly bamboo”. The jointed, multiple stalks vaguely resemble bamboo, but the plant would never be mistaken for fishing pole material! Nandinas have two major pluses in the landscape: they tolerate shade very well and their bright...

Loropetalum, Loropetalum chinense, sometimes called Chinese fringe flower, is a versatile shrub that is a member of the witch hazel family. It usually grows as a round shrub. Different varieties range from 3 feet to 10 feet tall with arching...

Just wanted to send you a picture of my lilac growing in my backyard in Henry County. I am a transplanted Northerner and I too really miss the smell of lilacs in the Spring. I know from listening to your...

Juniper is reputed to be a tough plant. It certainly is…but it’s not immune to poor soil conditions. A common problem occurs with junipers growing on a steep bank. The plants at the top look fine, the ones in the...

We all know that life depends on chemistry. We may not understand the chemistry…but life goes on whether we understand it or not. If you want to go hard-core in understanding why hydrangeas are blue or pink, here is a...

Even though July is the preferred month to prune bigleaf hydrangeas, sometimes circumstances intervene to keep you from doing what should be done. If that is the case, don’t despair. Hydrangeas can still be pruned after August… but more carefully...

“Lime makes ’em pink, sulfur makes ’em blue,” or is it the other way around? Indeed, adding lime to the soil around the common French hydrangea will make the plant change flower color from blue to pink. The lime counteracts...

Few shrubs have caused the excitement engendered by ‘Lady in Red’ hydrangea. It is a patented selection of an Asian hydrangea which has maroon leaves, red stems and a red lace-cap flower. For more information see: ‘Lady in Red’...

I spoke at a training meeting for nursery personnel recently and was inundated with questions about how hollies pollinate. The folks knew that hollies have male and female plants, and that only the females bear berries. They wondered, though, if...

Each year I receive several questions regarding hibiscus. Tropical hibiscus owners want to know how to bring their plants indoors for the winter and have many concerns about keeping them healthy. Confederate rose growers want to know how to root...

Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick is the folk name of contorted filbert, Corylus avellana L. ‘Contorta’ These notes were contributed by B. J. Thomas, who found this information on E-bay: Sir Harry Lauder (1870-1950 ) Sir Harry Lauder, the popular singer...

Gardenias can often get too large for their spot. Their flowers are so beautiful and fragrant, many gardeners don’t want to do anything that retards blooming. These notes from Ted Stephens at Nurseries Caroliniana, Inc. should help: “Gardenias flower on...

The smell from the daphne shrubs growing near my front door has been intoxicating this year. I have two there, in front of three small gardenias, assuring my family of a perfumed entry each day for months. I have three...

When I exhorted my radio listeners to check out my web pages on how to prune crapemyrtles, several sent plaintive notes that they simply could not find the correct pages on my website. The reason is that I spell the...

I like the description here. Dr. Ed Gillman describes pollarding at his site linked here that “Pollarding is an old technique for maintaining trees at a small size. It has proven itself as a reliable, durable method of maintaining trees...

I think we all agree that the preferable treatment for a crape is to plant in the right place and let it go. Pollarding is intended to remove only the annual sprouts from a pollard head, and is done correctly...

“Here’s how I look at it: “For pollarding, you cut above the last pollarded cut; i.e. cut the newer wood and avoid cutting into the older wood…leaving some existing lateral branching. By cutting into the older wood you would increase...